Parker may return in battle of banged-up hopefuls

DENVER — It didn’t feel much like time for a pre-playoff gut-check game when the Spurs’ charter flight landed at Denver International Airport late Tuesday afternoon.

Temperatures were in the mid-teens. Steady winds gusting occasionally up to 30 mph turned a persistent snowfall sideways and made the “real feel” a few degrees below zero.

Aren’t the playoffs supposed to be a harbinger of spring?

Still, the Spurs weren’t complaining, not with All-NBA point guard Tony Parker on the flight and listed as probable for the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Nuggets at Pepsi Center.

Parker’s pre-playoff health has been a major concern since he suffered a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle March 1 against the Kings. He returned to the lineup March 22 but struggled to regain his rhythm.

An inadvertent smack in the neck from Clippers center DeAndre Jordan on March 29 made things worse, and Parker was sent to the locker room in last Thursday’s showdown against the Thunder in Oklahoma City two minutes into the fourth quarter of a close game, limping and ineffective.

The five-time All-Star did not play in Saturday’s victory over Atlanta at the AT&T Center and was still listed as questionable after a Monday practice in San Antonio.

There is no question Parker will play only if Gregg Popovich believes he is fit for action. Health remains priority No. 1 for the Spurs’ coach, though getting his team’s defense back to a level he believes necessary to make a long playoff run is a close second.

Though the Spurs remain third in the NBA in defensive efficiency (as measured by points allowed per 100 possessions), Popovich believes the team peaked defensively in February and has regressed. With the notable exception of team captain Tim Duncan, Saturday’s performance, according to Popovich, had been “in a lot of ways, pathetic.”

Nuggets coach George Karl empathizes with his good friend.

“I think we’re all in the stage of the season where defensive intensity and commitment is fatiguing, both physically and mentally on almost every basketball team,” he said after a Tuesday morning practice session at Pepsi Center. “I think Pop just wants to see it show back up in a couple of future games, as would I.

“Chemistry isn’t where it needs to be, or where it usually is,” said forward Danny Green. “There are a lot of injuries here and there, guys in and out, and chemistry is just off right now. I guess we’re not playing up to our standards defensively. I guess that’s the biggest thing for him.

“We have to continue to make strides forward and get better and hopefully get our chemistry back when everyone is healthy.

“Trust is the biggest thing when it comes to defense; trusting each other and communicating with each other. Good defensive teams are on a string, as Timmy would say, and they trust each other.”

Wednesday’s game matches two of the top three teams in the Western Conference, but both are banged up as they grind to the conclusion of the 82-game regular season. Denver last week lost No. 2 scorer Danilo Gallinari to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that put him out until next season.

Ty Lawson, Denver’s super-quick point guard and leading scorer (16.7 points per game), has missed six of the past seven games with a tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. Lawson practiced Tuesday, but his status for the game won’t be determined until a morning shootaround.

Neither Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (strained right hamstring) nor forward Boris Diaw (sore back) will play against the Nuggets. Veteran forward Stephen Jackson, who missed one recent game with a mild sprain of his right ankle, also did not make the trip to Denver.